To Catch a Rat
by VividImagination03
Summary: This story is a continuation from my other story "Raid on the Presidio". It's like the second book of my Pirate101 Adventures theme I got going on. cx Subodai x Seamus, Jack x Allison, Milo x Victoria
1. Prologue

P.O.V- Subodai

It seems like an eternity has passed before I finally dock this pathetic excuse for a ship at the Skull Island Docks. Gently picking up Seamus in my arms I take off running to the shopping area, dodging random civilians along the way. A few curses are thrown my way as I nearly bump into multiple strangers, but with the matter at hand I can't seem to find it in myself to care. Once I reach my destination, I pause for a quick second to catch my breath as I search for a certain bridge. After finding said bridge I dash across it, being greeted by palm trees, wet grass, and mold.

After running through the jungle-like area for a couple of minutes a familiar tent comes into view. A roaring fire rests a few feet away from the tent, and only then do I realize how dark it has become. Just moments ago the sun was shining brightly in the sky, but now the moon is casting shadows in every corner of the vast jungle. "Maka Motl!" I cry out in desperation. A watermole Witchdoctor walks out of the tent. "Subodai? What troubles you, friend?" He asks, concern in his voice. His eyes widen as they come to rest on Seamus. "Can you help him?" I ask. I never was much of a beggar, but Seamus's life is on the line! I would do anything, even resort to begging, if it would save my beloved Seamus.

Maka examines Seamus for a second before replying. "Set boy down. Wait here." Maka retreats back to his tent, probably to get one of his many magical remedies. Being as gentle as I can, I lay Seamus's body down on the dirt in front of the fire. I kneel next to him, unable to do anything more than stare. The light of the fire reflects off his face, illuminating its beautiful features in a bright orange afterglow. This truly is a beautiful sight. Unable to resist the temptation, I run my fingers through his unruly golden locks.

Maka soon returns with a bowl filled to the brim with a strange purple liquid. I eye it with much suspicion. "Healing potion. Spread on body. Wounds go away." Maka sits on the other side of Seamus and sets the bowl down beside him. "Clothing off." At first I'm taken aback by his statement, but my confusion soon turns to embarrassment as I realize exactly what he's referring to. Reluctantly I remove Seamus's shirt, a blush staining my cheeks as I do so. Maka makes quick work of removing his pants. Soon enough the unconscious Seamus is left in just his boxers. Just knowing he's this close to naked is enough to turn me into a stuttering fool, but to actually see it with my own eyes...

"Now we begin. Watch." The watermole dips his hand into the small, wooden bowl. As he removes his hand droplets of purple fall to the ground, staining the dirt they land on. Maka looks over Seamus's body looking for a place to start. After a minute or so he decides on a small scratch on his left leg. Slowly and gently he spreads the liquid over the scratch. The liquid absorbs into the cut, and within the seconds it disappears altogether. I'm rendered speechless by this display of witchcraft.

Maka clears his throat, taking me out of my awe-induced trance. "You work on chest and neck. I do legs." A blush engulfs my entire face as I realize what I've been told to do. First I get to see it, and now I get to touch him? This must be heaven. Somehow I manage a nod in his direction as I dip my hand into the bowl. The liquid is surprisingly warm to the touch. With as much gentleness as I can muster, I pick a starting point on his chest and being spreading the liquid. As I'm doing so, I can't help but marvel at how soft his skin truly is...

Once all his scars are magically healed, Maka leaves to return his bowl of liquid to his tent. Seconds after Maka enters his tent, Seamus groans and lifts his head up off the dirt. Using his hands for support, he manages to get himself in a sitting position. "Captain! Are you feeling ok?" I ask, the concern in my voice easily noticeable. "I'm feeling a little drowsy, but other than that I'm fine." He replies as he realizes something. "Subodai, where are my clothes?" As my previous blush resurfaces, I hand him his shirt and pants. Seamus remains sitting as he puts his shirt back on, but stands up, wobbling slightly as he does so, to put on his pants. As he slips his pants on, he trips and starts to fall directly into the fire. Immediately I stand up, grab his wrist, and pull him close to me. Before either of us can say anything, a sound of rustling leaves is heard not far from us.

On instinct I pull my sword from its sheath and wrap my other arm tightly around Seamus. Seamus in turn wraps his arms around me, pulling himself as close to me as he possibly can. He is in no condition to fight, and I refuse to let anything harm him again. Waponis come walking out of the surrounding bushes lead by none other than Ratbeard himself. "Hello there, boys." The villain greets us in a voice that's nowhere near friendly. "You are not welcome here, fiend. Leave now or I will use force." The rat laughs a vile laugh as he smirks in my direction. "We'll just see about that. Get 'em, boys!"

Waponis charge at us, weapons raised high above their heads. In one quick movement, I shove Seamus behind me and stab an oncoming Waponi soldier through the chest. Blood flies through the air as the creature falls to the ground. Another one attempts to attack from the side, but its head is chopped off in one swift movement. A third attempts to attack Seamus; a horrible decision, really. The poor idiot didn't see it coming; it was stabbed through one of its eyes. With a cry, I hear it fall backward onto the dirt. Surprisingly, I didn't get any slice of eye on my sword.

I can feel Ratbeard frowning in my direction, but only for a second. He whispers something to nearby Waponis, but I'm too far away to hear what was said; I only catch nearly muted sounds. As I continue to kill off a never ending onslaught of Waponi warriors, I hear a sound that stops me dead in my tracks. "Subodai! Help!" I turn to see that bastard Ratbeard holding a sword to Seamus's neck. A tight grip on his wrist is what keeps him prisoner. "Make one more move and the boy gets it!" Anger floods through my system, but my fear for Seamus overpowers my anger. 'He's too far away! There's no way I can run over there before he slashes his neck!' Having no other options, I toss my sword on the ground. Ratbeard smirks as he orders, "Take him away, boys. I'll meet you back on the ship." Two strong Waponi warriors drag me away rather violently. The last thing I saw before being taken away from my captain were the tears that fell from his eyes as Ratbeard kept a tight grip on him, whispering things in his ear. I growl as thoughts of how I'm going to dismember the rat come flooding to my mind.


	2. Part 1

P.O.V- Jack

As I exit the Frogfather's office with my new crew, the first thing I notice is my captain's frustration. "Ugh! Why couldn't he just tell us where he is?! Stupid rules and favors..." She complains rather loudly. On the other hand, Victoria seems unaffected by this minor setback. "Remember, he never did agree to tell us exactly where Ratbeard is; he only agreed to help us find him, and that he did. He pointed us in the direction of someone who actually knows where to find him." She explained to a still frustrated Allison. "He should've just told us..." She mutters, a pout on her face. I feel a blush coming on as I stare at the cuteness coming from such a cute, young, blood-lusting pirate captain.

Spying the enormous barrel that will lift us out of Gullet and back onto the wooden planks of Jonah Town, we all enter it together. "No need for frustration, captain. We will catch Ratbeard, get Avery his chalice, and then this mess will finally be over." Egg says in a calm voice. Allison smiles a sincere smile up at him. I feel a twinge of jealousy arise as he smiles back at her. I am unsure of the relationship between Egg and Captain Allison. Are they friends, family, lovers..? I certainly hope they're nothing more than close friends.

There's just something about Captain Allison Kidd that catches my eye. Could it be the way her dark brown eyes light up when she's in a good mood? Maybe it's the way her even darker brown hair flows in the breeze whenever she takes but a single step. It could possibly be the fearless fierceness she unleashes when in battle; that both scares and amazes me. Now that I think about it, there is nothing about my captain that I exactly hate. She's just so, so, oh what's the word I'm looking for, so-

"Uh, has anyone seen Captain Seamus?" Bonnie asks, they worry easily noticeable in her voice as she scans the Jonah Town area. 'That's funny, I never realized we even made it up here yet, or that I even exited that darn barrel in the first place...' I think to myself as everyone else begins to scan the surrounding area in search of a familiar face. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Subodai either. Not after we left the Presidio." Sara adds, worry evident in her voice as well. "Oh! I remember seeing Subodai pick up Seamus in his arms and take off running like a chicken with its head cut off! Seamus was pretty badly injured..." Allison announces as a look of worry flashes across her face. It doesn't linger for very long though, a minute at most. Quickly, Allison regains her composure and returns her attention to the two worried ladies.

Next to her, Victoria also wears a look of concern and worry. The only difference is hers lingers far longer than Allison's did. Milo happens to notice this, and his cool demeanor washes away instantly. "Uh, maybe they docked at Skull Island and are waiting for us." He suggests in an attempt to comfort his captain. Allison, also noticing the look on her friend's face, gives an order to the group, "Everyone to the ships! We're setting sail for Skull Island immediately!" Victoria takes off running toward the Jonah Town dock immediately after the order is given. Milo, not wanting to leave the poor girl alone, follows right behind her. My crew and I follow after them, hoping that we will find our missing friends somewhere on Skull Island.


	3. Part 2

P.O.V- Subodai

For far too long I've been locked up in this confounded cell. A little over an hour ago I was dragged down into the dark lower section of Ratbeard's ship and tossed roughly into this cell. None of that is what's truly bothering me. The one thing on my mind is my captain. For as long as I've been in here he's been left alone with that horrid rat. All I've been doing this past hour is worrying about Seamus's well-being, and pondering the many ways to kill Ratbeard if he dares to harm my Seamus in any way, shape, or form.

As I'm in the middle of imagining Ratbeard's head mounted on a wall above a fireplace, the door to my cell opens for only a second as something is thrown inside. Immediately after it lands on the hard-wood floor of the cell one of the two Waponis speak, "That teach you to think twice before dishonoring Captain Ratbeard." As the Waponis make their leave, I notice exactly what was thrown into my cell. Actually, it's more of a who than a what.

Panic floods through my system as I kneel down next to a familiar body. "Captain! Are you alright?" I grab his shoulders as lightly as I can while lifting him into a sitting position. His face is lowered and he refuses to look me in the eyes. "Did he hurt you?" The question comes out slower than I would have thought possible, and there's no hiding the concern in my voice when it finally does come out. He still refuses to look at me, but this time I observe his body language. His small frame shakes violently as his fingers dig into his legs. What truly captures my attention are the sobs he so desperately tries to hide, but they come out anyway. Reluctantly, I grab his chin lightly with one hand, and force him to look up at me. I let out a small gasp at the sight that greets me.

A large, grotesque, purple bruise covers his right cheek and his eyes are red, tears slowly pouring out of them as he continues to fight back sobs. My free hand balls up into a fist at my side as the anger rushes through my system, my earlier thoughts of killing that damn rat returning. Without warning Seamus breaks free from my not so tight hold on his chin, lunges into my arms, hugs me tightly, and cries directly into my armor. The sudden action causes us to go tumbling down to the floor, him laying directly on top of me. A blush appears on my face as I return the sudden embrace. "S-S-Subodai! I-it was t-t-terrible! H-he-he-" "Hush, Seamus. Everything is ok now. He won't get you down here." I whisper in as comforting a voice as I can manage. It seems to do the trick as his sobs lessen.

Within minutes I hear light snores coming from my captain. I take a look at him. His hair is splayed across his face in an unruly fashion as his face is void of an expression. Carefully, I move a few strands of hair out of his face, just barely touching his incredibly smooth skin. I can't help but notice the smile that grazes his face after the action is completed. As I smile a smile of my own, I wrap my arms tighter around his sleeping frame, and drift off to sleep myself.


	4. Part 3

P.O.V- Milo

Jack, Gaspard, and I are walking toward the Skull Island market, our heads hung low and our spirits lowered. "Captain Allison isn't going to enjoy hearing this news, I just know it." Jack complains as we pass by that old water fountain in Avery's Court. Gaspard chuckles dryly. "Your captain ain't gonna care, Jack." A frown appears on Jack's face. "What do you mean she's not going to care? Seamus and Subodai are her friends; of course she's going to care!" He replies, confusion and outrage apparent in his voice. "Come now, Jack! Your captain could care less about those two! As long as she herself isn't in any trouble, it's no concern of hers!" Gaspard retorts, getting up in Jack's face. Jack, being the taller of the two, glares down at Gaspard. The two are chest to chest, glaring intensely into each other's eyes. Unsure of exactly what I should be doing in this situation, I just stand back and wait for something to happen. A crowd circles around us as the fight escalates.

"Say that again. I dare you." Jack growls, low and menacing. "You want the truth, pup? I'll give you the truth! Captain Allison Kidd is a pathetic excuse for a pirate captain, her blood-lust is a highly obnoxious trait, and she probably doesn't even give a damn about her own crew, let alone a useless pup such as yourself! If I had my way, I'd have both you and her thrown overboard to swim with the sharks!" Jack's fists ball up at his sides as his anger rises. Gaspard pauses for a second before he continues. "I do have to admit, as much as I do despise Captain Allison, there is someone else I despise even more than her." Jack unclenches his fists as he raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Captain Victoria Nesbit." At the mention of my captain's name, I feel as if time itself has stopped. "Such a horrid, vile, heartless, child she is! The way she spoke to us in the Presidio, the way she orders around the lot of us, I wonder if she even knows how to smile, that cruel bitch! If I had my way, she'd-" A swift kick to the chest, and Gaspard falls to his knees on the dirt ground of Avery's Court. The crowd gasps at the sudden action. Clutching his stomach in pain, he glares icily up at me. "Never insult my captain when I'm around, you bastard." Turning away from a highly pissed off Gaspard, I push through the crowd and head off toward the market with Jack in tow. Both of us are grinning from ear to ear.

"That was one heck of a kick, Milo! I'm certain Gaspard will be feeling that one for quite some time!" Jack exclaims, laughter exploding from his lungs as he playfully punches my arm. I can't help but laugh along with him, but it doesn't last for too long. "The bastard had it coming. No one insults my captain." Suddenly Jack's laughter stops. Out the corner of my eye, I see him smirking in my direction. "What?" I ask, feeling slightly unnerved by the smirk. "You like Captain Victoria, don't you?" Praying that this isn't what I think it is, I simply brush it off as if it's nothing. "Of course I do. She saved me from those confounded monkeys and took me on her crew. What's not to like about all that?" "You know that's not what I mean, Milo." That smirk hasn't left his face. I blush furiously at the oh-so-accurate accusation. Hopefully no one notices.

"What? Me like Captain Victoria? Where did you get such a ridiculous idea like that from?" I reply, trying to make it sound convincing. Jack chuckles at my response. "Oh Milo, you make it so obvious! The way you always rush to her defense, the way you care so much about her happiness, just admit it! You're in love!" I swear my face is on fire at this point. "Oh yeah? What about you and your captain, huh? I've seen the way you look at Allison when she ain't looking. Not to mention you gave that goose a death glare as we were leaving Gullet." Jack's face reddens at my remark. A smile appears on his face as he replies, "At least I can admit it."

Before I can come up with any type of clever comeback, Jack and I walk down the stone steps toward Skull Island's small market area- complete with a Tavern, a few small shops, and even a dueling arena- just in time to see members of Allison's crew exit one of the small shops in the area. The young Watermole Spearman notices us and tugs on his companions sleeves to get his attention. The goose also takes note of our presence as Jack and I approach them. "Any luck?" I ask. Egg sighs as Nanu stares at the sandy ground with an expression of sadness. "I'm afraid not. None of the shopkeepers has seen any sign of Subodai or Seamus." Egg says, unable to hide the concern in his voice. "We had no luck, either. None of the class trainers or even Avery has seen them." Jack replies in the same tone. "Hopefully others have better luck. Let us find them." Nanu suggests.

The four of us venture off in search of the others, hoping that they at least have a clue as to where our two missing friends have gone. "Milo! Hey, Milo! Wait up!" I turn and see two familiar faces rushing towards us. They are none other than my two crewmates Kobe and Barnabus. Once they catch up to us, they stop to catch their breath. "Did you two have any luck finding them?" Egg asks, genuinely curious. "We searched every inch of Skull Mountain, even in the Skull Cave! They were nowhere to be found." Kobe explains once his breathing was less ragged. "Captain's not gonna be happy about that." Barnabus says with his head hung low. At the mention of my captain a wave of sadness passes through my system. If no one else found any useful information about where those two could be, she will be heartbroken. I sigh, yet again hoping that someone has some sort of clue as to their whereabouts.

Out the corner of my eye I see Bonnie and Sara exit the Kraken Skulls Tavern just ahead of us. They see us all congregated in the center of the market area and come to join us, their movements slower than usual. It doesn't take a genius to realize that their news isn't going to be good news. Egg and I seem to be thinking alike because, without even looking at them, he says, "I guess you two had as little luck as we did." It was not a question, and the girls knew it. They refuse to look any of us directly in the eyes. After a short pause, Bonnie finds words to speak. "No one in the tavern has seen either one of them since last week." "Last week? What were they doing there? Subodai hates almost every drink they serve." Barnabus asks, a look of pure confusion spreading across his face. "Seamus was feeling down one day, so Subodai took him out to the tavern to cheer him up. They played some darts, ordered a few drinks, and came right back home." Sara explains as a smile forms on her face. "Why didn't you guys go with?" A still confused sloth asks. Bonnie starts to smile as well as she replies. "We figured that they needed some time alone. You know, like a guy's night out." She and Sara share a knowing glance as Barnabus stands there seeming even more confused. He decides to let it go for now as the remaining members of our pirating group approach us.

"We could not find them on the docks." Emmett says as our captains stand on either side of him. "Did you guys have any luck?" Allison asks. A reply isn't necessary; the way everyone refuses to look the young captain in the eye is enough of a response for them. An awkward silence rises as we all just stand there, refusing to look at each other. After a minute I risk a glance at my captain. My heart breaks at the sight. She's just staring at the ground, a look of pure sadness washing over her entire being as she trembles slightly. I've never seen her so fragile. The desire to reach out hold her close to me surfaces, but I force it back for whatever reason.

Suddenly, Barnabus's voice breaks through the silence. "Ooh! I know a place we haven't checked yet!" The sloth joyfully exclaims, attracting attention from nearby passersby. Immediately Victoria's head snaps up to meet his eyes. "Where?!" She replies, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and desperation. "Subodai once told me about a friend of his who lives in a tent here on Skull Island! He's a Watermole Witchdoctor named Maka Motl. He specializes in medicines and remedies of all kinds. He probably took Seamus there so he would heal him! All we have to do is find a rope bridge somewhere near the market!" Barnabus replies, overjoyed that he's being as helpful as he is. "Is that the bridge over there, Barnabus?" Emmett asks. Barnabus takes a look in the direction Emmett's eyes have wandered to, and nods his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, that one! His tent should be on the other side!" "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!" Gaspard exclaims as we all charge toward that bridge. When did he get here? I didn't even notice he had joined us until after his exclamation.

Once we all have crossed the bridge, we scan the area in search of a tent. This area is fairly similar to that of Skull Mountain, minus the troggies and cutthroats. Palm trees stand tall on various edges of land, buckets overflowing with sap hanging from them. Rocks covered in a yellowish-orange mold are scattered throughout the area. Almost every inch of the area is grass, minus the small sandy pathway that leads to a place unknown.

We decide to split up into two groups: Nanu, Emmett, Kobe, Barnabus, Sara, and Gaspard are put in charge of searching near the bridge while Egg, Bonnie, Jack, Allison, Victoria, and I will follow the path to its end. As the six of us venture deeper into the forest-like area, we end up in a formation of sorts. Egg and Bonnie make up the rear, Allison and Jack settle in the middle, and Victoria and I somehow got to lead this expedition. Finally we reach the end of the path, and Egg makes a sudden announcement. "I see the tent up ahead!" Up ahead we spot a small yellow tent. Outside a fire is roaring, even though it's the middle of the day, and a watermole is seen sitting beside it.

We all stop and stare at him for a while. After about a minute of this, the witchdoctor turns and stares in our direction. "Can I help you?" He asks, confused at the sudden invasion. Victoria clears her throat and tries to keep her voice steady. I don't think she can handle any more disappointment. "Are you Watermole Witchdoctor Maka Motl?" She asks. He rises to his feet as he replies. "Yes. Do you need remedy? I have some available." "No, we don't need any remedies." This confuses him quite a bit. "Then what is it you need?" He asks. Victoria pauses, reluctant to ask her question. Unable to bear this silence, I speak up for her. "Have you seen a Horse Barbarian come through here? With his captain, perhaps?"

His eyes light up at the mention of a Horse Barbarian. "Ah, do you mean Subodai? He is good friend of mine! He came by earlier carrying a very badly injured pirate in his arms. I healed his injuries with one of my remedies." His eyes suddenly darkened as he continued his tale. "Once his remedies were healed and he was fully dressed, do not ask about that, they were ambushed by a nasty rat pirate and his Waponi army. I wanted to help, but know nothing outside of cures and remedies. They were taken away. I am sorry." He lowers his head in a gesture of sadness. Victoria copies his action, and my hearts breaks at the sight. I truly do feel sorry for her. I would do anything if I knew that it would take away her sorrows. Unable to stare at her sadness any longer, I scan the faces and reactions of the rest of our crew. As expected, they all wear matching looks and worry and concern. Allison is probably not doing any better than Victoria emotionally, but I have noticed that she has a better hold on her emotions than Victoria does.

Allison lets her worry turn to anger as she asks a question through gritted teeth. "Do you know where he went?" Maka ponders this for a minute before responding. "I believe rat said something about Waponi Wu." Jack's eyes widen as he makes a realization. "Wait a minute, isn't there an active volcano on Waponi Wu?" The fear easily stands out above any other emotion he is feeling. Everyone else's eyes widen as the fact dawns on them as well. "Alright guys, let's get going! We've got a job to do, and it ain't gonna be easy!" Allison orders as she and the others run off down the path.

Before Victoria can take even take one step, I grab her wrist to stop her. She tries to struggle out of my grasp, but that only makes me tighten my grip. After a minute she realizes she can't win, and reluctantly turns to face me. I take a deep breath before I speak. "Captain, you're worrying too much about this. Subodai and Seamus will be alright. We will get to them in time, and then everything will be alright. Please try to stop worrying so much, if not for us then for yourself. It's not good for you at all." Her blue eyes stare into my gray ones, and I immediately become paralyzed. I never have noticed how beautiful her eyes truly are, how much emotion is hidden behind them. I don't think I've ever seen something so beautiful in my entire life.

She lowers her head, and I expect her to start crying. Instead, she surprises me with a small, shy, smile. "Come on, Milo. We'd better catch up with the others." Her voice is quieter than usual. I smile as I release her from my grip, and follow her out of the forest-like area. A thought pops into my head as we head off down the path. 'I don't mind her usual attitude, not at all, but I wouldn't mind if she'd act like that more often…'


End file.
